Japan launches satellite to monitor North Korea

Mar 18, 2017 08:08 IST

Sangeeta Krishnan

Japan on 17 March 2017 launched a new satellite to track land and maritime movements in North Korea. The satellite will also be able to conduct surveys on the weapons programme of the secretive nuclear-armed state.

The launch project was conducted jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the aerospace manufacturer. The move comes shortly after North Korea launched four banned ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's north-west coast, alarming both Japan and the United States.

Key Highlights

• The Radar 5 unit was launched into space on Japan’s H-2A rocket from Tanegashima base, a site located towards the south-east of Japan.

• The launch was initially scheduled for 15 March but it got delayed due to poor weather conditions at the base.

• The satellite will be replacing an existing satellite, which is coming to the end of its mission.

• Japan initiated the process of launching spy satellites into the orbit in 2003, following North Korea’s testing of a mid-range ballistic missile over the Japanese mainland and into the western Pacific in 1998.

• The threat of unprecedented missile firing by North Korea has only accelerated after that, especially recently after three of the four ballistic missiles launched by N Korea landed extremely close to Japan.